At the neuromuscular junction, an electrical signal from the motor neuron is translated to a chemical signal and then back to an electrical signal in the muscle cell. What proteins interact with the released chemical to cause the electrical signal in the muscle cell?
The correct answer is Cation ligand-gated channels (ACh receptors). At the neuromuscular junction, the released chemical signal is acetylcholine (ACh), which binds to ligand-gated ion channels on the muscle cell membrane. These ligand-gated channels are specifically cation channels, which allow the influx of sodium ions and the efflux of potassium ions, resulting in an electrical signal known as an action potential in the muscle cell.
